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EYELBT HOLE ATTACHMENT FOR. SEWING MACHINES} Patented July 25, 1882.,

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. UN TED STATES PATENT vEnron.

HERBERT L. PHELPS, OF NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THENATIONAL MACHINE COMPANY, on TROY, N.

EYELET HQLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING-:MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 261,563, dated July 25,1882.

Application filed April 6, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

-Bo it known that I, HERBERT L. PHELPS, of the city of New York, in thecounty of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Eyelet-Hole Attachments for Sewing Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to eyelet-stitching attachments for sewing-machinesin which the needle reciprocates in one vertical plane, and in whichattachments the fabric having the eyelet-hole therein is presented tothe needle and stitch-forming devices of the sewing-machine by afeed-ring which reciprocates horizontally, and thereby moves the fabricto and fro to cause the formation of the over-edge stitches, and alsorotates intermittingly, and thereby turns the fabric step by step tocause the spacing of the over-edge stitchesaround the eyelet-hole.

The principal objects of my improvements are to provide means forcentering, holding, and keeping the eyelet-hole work in accurateengagement with the'feed-ring during its toand-fro movementsv andstep-by-step rotary motion while the work is being subjected to thepuncturingand pulling action of the sew- .ing devices and threads in theoperation of binding the eyelet-hole with the series of overedgestitches; for retaining the feed-ring in proper position and engagementwith its driving devices while applying the eyelet-hole work to anddisengaging it from thefeed-ring, and for adjusting the position of aring-like vibrative presser, and limiting the movements of the same inrelation to the reciprocating feed-ring. I attain these objects by themechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a perspective view of one of my improved eyelet-stitchin gattachments applied to and combined with a sewing-machine. Fig.

'2 is a plan on a larger scale of the same attachment, some parts beingbroken away. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the same at the line 2 z inFigs. 2 and 4, and elevation of the presser-bar and needle-bar of thesewing-machine. Fig. 4 is avertical section of a portion of the sameattachment at the line 3 y in Figs. 2 and -3, and elevation and partialsection of some parts of the sewing-machine. Fig.5 rep- (No model.)

resents the feed-rin g detached in plan and end views. Fig. 6 is a planof a detached part of the same attachment, and Figs. 7 and 8 are plansof the vibrative ring-like presser adjusted with its center at differentdistances from the axis of the presser-bar.

Like letters refer to similar parts'in the different figures.

A is the bracket-arm, B the needle-bar, and O the presser-bar, of asewing-machine heretofore in use. p

D is the feed-ring, having a ratchettoothed rim, a, and projecting teethor points b to engage with the button-hole work, andjournaled to revolvein a carrier, E, which is mounted to slide to and fro in or 011 ways orguides on a bed-plate, F, which is fastened to the stationary portion ofthe sewing-machine. The carrier E is connected by a lever, G, adjustablelink H, and lever I with the driving mechanism of the sewingmachine insuch manner that just before one descent of the needle 00 through thefeed-rin g D the carrier, with the feed-rin g, is moved in onedirection, (indicated by the arrow 10,) and is moved in the oppositedirection a like distance just before the next descent of the needle,and so on repeatedlyto form the over-edge stitches. The feed-ring isturned astep at each movement of the feed-ring carrierE in one directiononly, to space theover-edge stitches, by means of a drivingpawl, J,engaging with the ratchet-rim a of the feed-ring, andpivoted to a slide,K, which is connected with the feed-ring carrier E by the levers G L andlink M.

' N is a ring-like presser fitting into thefeedring D, and mounted to bevibrated on a pivotstem on thepresser-bar O, by and with thereciprocatingfeed-ring, to keep the fa bric 12, Figs. 3 and 4., inengagement with the feed-ring, all

essentially the same as in a certain eyelet-hole attachment for sewingmachines made by George M. Morris prior to my invention, and describedin United States Patent No. 227 ,640, dated May 18,1880. When that priorattachment is inuse the part of the eyelet-hole work or fabric which iswithin the circular opening through the feedring is supported by andpressed down hard upon and'moved to and fro in direct contact with theusual stationary perforated needle-plate of the sewing-machine,

while the feed-ring is rceiprocated by its carrier, and the consequentadhesion and friction of the reciprocating fabric against the stationaryneedle-plate tends to loosen the engagement of the feed-ring with thefabric and to displace the fabric laterally on the feed-rin g, andthereby prevent the formation of the series of over-edge stitches in atrue circle around the eyelet-hole in the fabric. To overcome thatdefect I firmly fasten to the feed-rin g carrier E a plate, P, directlyunder and parallel to the feed-ring D, and having an oblong aperture, 0,through which the needle 00 of the sewing-machine reciprocates, andwhich oblong needlehole is arranged lengthwise with the direction inwhich the feed-ring carrier is moved to and fro, so that thework-supporting plate 1 moves to and fro with the feed-ring D, and thusprevents all reciprocating rubbing movement of the fabric upon itssupportin g-plate, and thereby prevents all tendency to displace thefabric on the feed-ring by reason of its reciprocating movements.

To provide means for conveniently and accurately centering theeyelet-hole work on the feed-ring D, and to further prevent lateraldisplacement of that work on the feed-ring as the two are reciprocatedtogether with the worksupporting plate 1?, and are also turned togetherstep by step on that plate, I firmly secure to the reciprocating plate Pa round pin or stud, It, corresponding in size to the eyelet-hole to beworked, and concentric with the feed-ring D, and having in the side nextto the needlehole 0 a recess which is a continuation of thatneedle-hole, so that upon merely placing the fabric with its eyelet-holeupon the centeringpin R and releasingthe spring-actuated presser D uponthe fabric, and thereby engaging the latter with the feed-ring andpressing the inner part of the fabric against the plate P, theeyelet-hole is properly centered in respect to the feed-rin g by thecenterin g-pin, which also helps to prevent lateral displacement of thefabric on the feed-rin g as the latter reciprocates the fabricintermittingly and rotates the same step by step in the stitchingoperation. For very small eyelet-holes the pin R is preferably pointed,as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, to puncture the fabric for the eyelet-hole.

To cover and protect the ratchet-rim a of the feed-rin g D, and preventthe latter from being displaced in putting the eyelet-hole work upon anddisengaging it from the feed-ring, I provide a cap-plate, 0, Fig. 6,having therein a circular aperture, d, and fitting upon and around therim of the feed-ring, and fastened by screws e, Fig.3, or by othersuitable means, to the reciprocating carrier E of the feed-rin g, so asto permit the free rotation of the feedring, protect its ratchet-rimfrom contact with the eyelet-hole work, and prevent the feed-ring frombeing pushed or pulled out of its journalseat in the reciprocatingcarrier E, however much the feed-ring shall be pushed or pulled upwardor laterally in the operation of placing the eyelet-hole work upon andremoving it from the feedring.

The presser-bar C is cylindrical and works through corresponding socketsin the bracketarm A of the sewing machine, and is prevented from turningin its sockets by a hub, Q, fastened to the presser-bar by a set-screw,f, Fig. 4, and having in its opposite sides slots 9 g, in which fit theforked end of a downwardpressingplate-spring,S,fastened to thebracket-arm of the sewing-machine, so that upon loosening the set-screwf the presser-bar O can be turned and adjusted concentrically about itsaxis, the same as in some sewing-machines made before my invention.

In fastening the eyelet-hole attachment upon the sewing-machine it isdiificult to set the attachment so that the center of the feed-rin gshall coincidewith thecenter of thecireularrin glike footof thepresserN, carried by the presserbar, and the adjustment of the feed-ringby its carrier and the devices shown in Fig. 2 to properly present andfeed eyelet-holes of greatlydifierent diameters to the needle of thesewing-m achine places the feed-rin g with its center at differentdistances from the axial line of the cylindrical presser-bar. Itherefore monntthe ring-like presser N upon a pivot-stem, T, Fig. 3,which I secure to the cylindrical presser-bar U, with the pivot-stemsomewhat eccentric to the presser-bar, as indicated in Fig. 3, so thatby the use of the set-screw f the presser-bar O, with the eccentricpivot-stem T of the vibrative presser,can be turned and set so as tothereby adjust the presser N with the center of its circular foot atdifferent distances from the presser-bar C, as represented in Figs.7 and8, and thus easily adjust the vibrative ringlike presser to fit properlyin the reciprocating feed-rin g.

To provide means for limiting the vibrative movement of the ring-likepresser N upon the pivot-stem '1, and in respect to the reciprocatingmovement of the feed-ring D, when the said pivot-stem is arrangedeccentrically upon the presser-bar C and is adjusted at any pointwhatever in the circle about the presser-bar, I make the pivot-stem Twith a lateral lug, i, and the socket-shank of the presser N with arecess into which the lug t extends loosely between stops j j, Fig. 4,on the presser-shank, and also make the pivot-stem T adjustableconcentrically about its own axis by having that stem fit so that it canbe turned around in a corresponding socket, 70, Fig. 3, in thepresser-bar, and furnish the latter with a setscrew, 1, by which thepivot '1 can be fastened in the socket in any desired adjusted position.

In carrying out my invention any suitable known devices are to becombined with the feed-ring 1) and its carrier E for imparting from asewing-machine to the feed-ring the proper to-and-fro movemen ts andstep-by-step rotary motion to form the over-edge stitches and to spacethe same around the eyelet-hole.

I am aware that an eyelet-stitching contrivance devised before myinvention has had for supporting and centering the eyelet-hole work areciprocating plate having an elongated necdle-hole, and fast on theplate at one end of the needle-hole a centering-stud with a side recessin continuation of the needle-hole, but did not have combined therewitha circular reciprocating and intermittingly-rotary feed-ring and aring-like vibrative presser for moving the eyelet-work to and fro androtatin git step by step.

I am also aware that prior to my invention an eyelet-stitching devicehas had a circular feed-ring rotating step by step (but having noreciprocating or to-and-fro movement) on a stationarywork-suppo'rthaving an elongated needle-hole, and concentric with thefeed-ring a centering-stud having a side recess in continuation of theneedle-hole through which two needles worked, as set forth in EnglishPatent- No. 2,648 of 1856; but to bind eyelet-holes with a series ofover-edge stitches such a device could not be used in connection with acommon sewing-machine having one needle only reciprocating in a constantvertical plane and no other device working through the needle-hole.

2. The combination, with the circular feedring, feed-rin g carrier,ring-like presser, and means for intermittingly rotating the feed-ringand moving its carrier to and fro, substantially as described, of thework-supporting plate P, having the oblong needle-hole c, and secured tothe feed-ring carrier, and thereby moved to and fro with the'feed-ring,and the work centering and supporting stud R, arranged on said plate Pat one end of said needle-hole, substantially as set forth.

3.- The combination, with the reciprocating feed-ring carrier E andfeed-ring D, journaled in said carrier and having the ratchet-toothedrim and work-holding points, substantially as described, of thecap-rin g0, secured to the feedring carrier and covering the ratchet-rim of thefeedring, substantially as set forth, whereby the latter is protectedand prevented from being displaced in putting the eyelet-hole work uponand detaching it from the feed-ring.

4. The combination, with the circular feedring, means for rotating andmoving it to and fro, substantially as set forth, cylindricalpresser-bar (J, and circular ring-like presser N,

mounted on said presser-bar and adapted to be vibrated by and with thefeed-ring, of devices, substantially as described, for adjusting thecircular presser into coincidence with said circular feed-ring atdifferent distances from the axis of said cylindrical presser-bar, asset forth.

HERBERT L. PHELPS.

Witnesses:

W. O. BREWSTER, WM. M. HOUSE.

